Can handling apparatus



March 12, 1940- A. R; THOMPSON 2,193,353

CAN HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 1, 1957 INVIEN TOR. Awe/f. ff. fiompson.

AT? RNEY.

Patented Mar 12, 1940 UNITED STATES CAN HANDLING APPARATUS Albert R. Thompson, Los Gatos, Calif., assignoito Food Machinery Corporation, San Jose, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Application December 1, 1937, Serial No. 177,554

11 Claims. (01.259-54) The present invention is concerned with treating apparatus for canned goods, such as cookers, coolers, and the like, of the-rotating reel and spiral canwaytype, and is concerned more particularly I with the provision of apparatus of this character in which the cans are subjected to agitation and movement during their travel through the apparatus.

It is a general object of the invention to provide improved treating apparatus for canned goods in which the cans may be agitated during the treating operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved treating apparatus of the rotating reel and spiral canway type in which the cans areagitated in' traveling through'the apparatus, and in which the amount of agitation can be con;- trolled.

Other objects of theinvention will be apparentfrom the following description of a preferred and having a suitable can inlet (not shown) and, a suitable can discharge means 12. Within the shell "I, a can propelling reel is mounted on a longitudinal shaft l3 which is supported in suit-' able bearings l4 in the end walls of the shell and is driven by drive means l5 of conventional construction. The reel comprises a series of angle.

shaped pusher bars l6 carriedby a plurality of suitable headsl'l secured on the reel shaft l3,

the bars l6 being arranged to provide longitudinal can receiving pockets therebetween. The pusher bars I6 of the reel rotatewithin a spiral canway formed by the convolutions of a T-barl8 suitably secured within shell l0 so that as the cans are propelled by the pusher bar l6 they are moved endwise as they progress around the suc cessive convolutions; of the canway formed by the T-bar l8. As is well known, the operation of this-type of apparatus is such that during substantially the lower half of the travel of the cans around the convolutions of the canway, they are rolled therealong, while during the upper portion gear 25 as shown in Fig. 3, is sufliciently wide to direction as the reel, but at a differential speed,

. rotation of the associated shaft 2i will effect rotascope therefore should be limited only of their travel they are carried bodily by the pusher bars as shown, for example, at IS in Fig. 2.

In order to provide for agitation of the cans during their progress through the apparatus, means are provided for rotating the cans at a 5 desired rate while they are supported by the reel, and preferably such means is adjustable to vary the rate of rotation or the amount of agitation so that it can be selected in accordance with the product being processed. 'The can agitating 10 means associated with each pusher bar l6 preferably comprises a longitudinal shaft 2| which is supported parallel to and adjacent the horizontal -4 flange of the pusher bar by a plurality of bearings 22 suitably secured as by fastening bolts 23 u to the respective pusher bars l6. At one end of each shaft 2!, a pinion 24 is provided to mesh with a large drive gear 25 which is journalled for rotation on the shaft l3 within the shell. The

engage a drive pinion 26 in addition to the agitating shaft pinions 24. The drive pinion 26 is secured on a stub shaft 21 journalled in a bearing 28,moun'ted in the casing 10 and having a drive sprocket 29 mounted thereon outside of the shell. The drive sprocket 29 may be driven through a suitable chain and sprocket drive 3il'from a variable speed motor 3! of conventional construction suitably mounted on the casing l0 and having a controlhandle 32 to determine the speed drive transmitted thereby.

In operation, the motor 3i drives the gear 25 in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 2, so that all the agitatingshafts 21 will be driven in a counter-clockwise direction as'indicated by the arrow. The gear 25. may be driven in the same as shown and described, or it may be driven in the opposite direction if desired. As will be evident from the position of the can l9 shown in Fig. 2,

tion or agitation of the can I! and the amount of such agitation will be in proportion to the speed of rotation of the shaft 2| about its axis whereby the contents 'of the can can be subjected 45 to the desired amount of agitation.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be apparent that the invention is capable of both variation and modification from the form shown, and its 50 by the scope of the appended claims. I

1. In can handling and treating apparatus of the type having a spiral canway and a can pro-' 66 pelling reel rotatable within said canway, a plurality of can supporting and agitating shafts extending along the periphery of said reel, and means for driving said agitating shafts including gears secured thereon, and a driving gear for said shaft gears mounted coaxially with said reel.

2. In can handling and treating apparatus of the type having a spiral canway and a can prolid pelling reel rotatable within said canway, can agitating shafts journalled around the periphery of said reel in parallel relation to the axis thereof, each shaft having a gear to transmit a drive thereto, a common drive gear for said shaft gears mounted co-axially with said reel, and variable speed drive means for said drive gear.

3. In can handling and treating apparatus of 85 propelling reel rotatable within said canway, a

series of pusher bars on said reel, can agitating means extending along each bar, and a common drive means for said agitating means mounted coaxially with said reel. 7

5. In can'handling and treating apparatus of the type having a spiral canway and a rotatable reel for propelling cans alongsaid canway, a

can propelling bar on said reel having its can' engaging surface formed at least in part by can shifting means mounted for rotation on said reel for effecting agitation of cans engaged therewith. V.

6. In can handling and treating apparatus of the type having a spiral canway and a rotatable reel for propelling cans along said canway, a can propelling bar on said reel having its can engaging surface formed at least inpart by movable can agitating means mounted for movement rel-- ative to said reel, and means for efiecting movement of said can agitating means.

'7- In a can handling and treating apparatus of the type having a spiral canway and a'rotatable reel for propelling cans along said canway, a series of pusher bars on said reel, and can agitating means cooperatively related to said bars and.- carried by said reel for movement relative thereto.

8. In a can handling and treating apparatus of the type having a spiral canway and a rotatable reel for propelling cans along said canway, a support for cans carried by said reel, and means to move said support relative to said reel to agitate the cans.

9. Can handling and treating apparatus of the type having a-spiral canway and a rotatable reel reel, and means for selectively controlling the operation of said can agitating means.

10. In can handling and treating apparatus of the type having a spiral canway and a rotatable reel' for propelling cans along said. canway, a can propelling bar on said reel having its can engaging surface formed at least in part by can shifting means mounted for rotation on. said reel for effecting agitation of cans engaged therewith, and means for controlling the rate of rotation of saidcan shifting means.

11. In can handling and treating apparatus of the type having a spiral canway and a rotatable reel for propelling cans along said canway, a can propelling bar on said reel havin its can engaging surface formed at least in part by movable can agitating means mounted for movement relative to said reel, and means for effecting movement. of said can agitating means, including means for varying the rate of movement thereof.

ALBERT R. THOMPSON. 

